I'm getting accustomed to wearing eyeglasses rather than contact lenses but I still don't like it! I had an appointment with the retina specialist yesterday and will have an in-office procedure next week to repair a small hole. (Unexpected exchange between the doctor and the assistant: "What's the best Nirvana song to start with?") DH had a neuropsychiatric evaluation Wednesday; results to come. I was relieved that he was perfectly willing to go through the two-hour testing.
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The title pulled me in: quilts! But the stories kept me turning the pages. Phyllis Elmore's memoir is compelling and inspirational.
In 1957 four-year-old Phyllis was taken from her family in Detroit to live with her maternal grandparents in rural Alabama. She does not go into details about why, but the result was life-changing in the very best way. Grandma Lula was patient and caring. She knew just how to ease the little girl's fears.
Lula was renowned for her memory quilts. When someone "passed over" (Phyllis learned not to say "died") their families commissioned Lula to make quilts from the loved one's clothing. As she cut and stitched she told stories about strong, determined, and courageous people. "...I used to imagine G.C. wandering in a clear space, looking for someone he could romp and run with. When Grandma sewed his brothers into the quilt it felt like he was no longer alone...Their fabric, those pieces of corduroy, wool, and denim, were arranged throughout the sides and middle of my quilt of souls. Then Grandma put a strip of G.C.'s gray britches along the left edge. Looking at it, I imagined him running down to the spring to romp and splash around, and I smiled." (p/ 130)
Lula's own parents were born into slavery. She knew first-hand the experience of separated families. For many years she worked as a nanny/housekeeper for a white family, making a long daily round trip by wagon and car (though she did not drive) because she had her own children and household.
The personalities that Elmore writes about are memorable -- not only Grandma Lula and Grandpa Edgar but also Miss Sugar and Miss Evelyn, Mama Nall, Aunt Bessie, and Sheriff Scruggs. Just as all the fabric in a scrappy quilt combines and blends to an intriguing (and most often pleasing) whole, all of the people we encounter contribute to the quilt of our lives.
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Speaking of scrappy quilts, the nine-patch is finished!
I quilted hanging diamonds with the walking foot.
The back uses nearly all of a vintage (36" w) print that I got at an antiques mall a long time ago. I still have a lot of 9-patches in two boxes, one with dark-light-dark and the other light-dark-light.
Linking up with Finished or Not Friday Peacock Party
The book sounds like one I would enjoy. It's going on my reading list. Thanks for the review! Hope the test results for your husband are not too dire. I'll keep thinking good thoughts for you both. I went with my sister-in-law to her neuro-pysch testing last year. I really felt the dr was right on target with her. Mostly she was relieved that he found no signs of Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. But she's ignoring his suggestion that depression and uncontrolled diabetes are the main issues.
ReplyDeleteI've been making nine patches for three jewel box quilts. I started off counting so I'd have exactly the right number but I got bored with that and suspect that now I'll end up with a box of spares. I hope that you both quickly put your medical adventures behind you and enjoy the rest of the summer.
ReplyDeletesounds like a good read....i'm reading dennis lehane's new book set in turbulent 1960s in boston which i remember well...
ReplyDeleteThank you for the book review - will have to check to see if our library has a copy.
ReplyDeleteI've always liked 9-patch quilts and yours is no exception. I appreciate the scrappy aspect!